Biratnagar, March 22 India beat Nepal 3-1 in the final of the SAFF Women’s Championship to win the title for the fifth straight edition here at the Sahid Rangashala today. This is the sixth time Nepal faced defeat at the hands of India in final — four times in the SAFF Women’s Championship and twice in the South Asian Games. With the victory, India extended the head-to-head record to 8-1 in 11 matches with two draws. On Friday, Dalima Chhibber, Grace Dangmei and substitute Anju Tamang scored one goal each for India, while Sabitra Bhandari replied for Nepal, who failed to match India’s performance on the field. Chibber opened the scoring in the in the 26th minute when she converted a free kick into a sensational goal into the top corner of the post from 35 yards out. Nepal levelled the scores in the 33rd minute through Sabitra Bhandari’s header goal following a long pass from Punam Jargha Magar on a back pass from Renuka Nagarkote. India restored the lead in the 63rd minute. Capitalising on a defensive error, Sandhiya Ranganathan released the ball for Grace Dangmei, who dodged Nepal goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo Subba before firing into an open net. Anju Tamang then extended the lead in the 78th minute with the team’s third goal from close range after being fed by Indumathi Kathiresan. Earlier, Nepal came close to scoring in the 13th minute but Manjali Kumari Yonjan shot straight into the hands of Indian goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan following a pass from Sabitri Bhandari. Star striker Bhandari wasted a chance six minutes later when she shot over the bar with a powerful shot on skipper Nirth Thapa’s pass. Bhandari missed another chance in the 45th minute. Her initial strike was blocked by Indian goalkeeper Chauhan and Bhandari failed to put the ball into the nets in rebound at a time when the custodian was not at the proper position. Nepal came close to scoring in the 82nd minute but Bhandari was again denied by Indian custodian Chauhan, who also saved the shot from Renuka Nagarkote on a pass from Rekha Poudel in the 88th minute. At the other end, India almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute but Nepal goalkeeper Anjali Tumbapo Subba saved 25-yard strike from Sanju. Ratnabala Devi Nongmaithem received a pass from Sanju and unleashed a powerful strike but Nepal custodian Subba saved her team from going down in the 32nd minute. India created two chances in the second half and converted both of them to seal the victory. India coach Mayamol Nedugadan Rocky said her team deserved the victory. “The girls played well and all the credit goes to the players,” she said. Nepal coach Hari Khadka rued the missed opportunities. “We could not convert the chance while the opponents did,” said Khadka. He, however, praised his girls for their performance. “Our main weapon was the fighting spirit against all-time favourites India and I think we could not do that today as the wingers failed to perform as per expectation,” he added. Khadka said the second goal scored by India was the turning point of the match. “We conceded an unnecessary goal because of our own mistake and that ultimately took the match away from us. We have a long way to go from here and we need to regroup to establish our team as a title contender,” he added. India’s Dalima Chhibber was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, while Nepal’s Sabitra Bhandari and India’s Indumathi Kathiresan were the joint highest scorers with four goals each at the fifth edition of the event. Bhandari moves to second Nepal national women’s team striker Sabitra Bhandari moved to second position in all-time highest scorer’s list. Bhandari, who scored one goal each in all four matches played by Nepal in the SAFF Women’s Championship, netted her 26th international goal in the 27th match. She had equalled Jamuna Gurung’s mark of 25 goals in the semi-final match against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Anu Lama — who was excluded from the final squad of the SAFF Women’s Championship — leads the list with 35 goals in 24 matches.